Sonnen: Okami Should Be ‘Clear Favorite’ Over Silva
Aug 22, 2011 Comments
Chael Sonnen (right) says Yushin Okami (left) should be favored
over Anderson Silva. | Photo: Dave Mandel
Chael Sonnen returns to the Octagon on Oct. 8 to take on Brian Stann.
The UFC 136 main card bout marks Sonnen’s first fight in more than a year. Ahead of the matchup, he stopped by Bruce Buffer’s “It’s Time” show on the Sherdog Radio Network to discuss a variety of topics.
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On the Yushin Okami vs. Anderson Silva matchup at UFC 134: “Yushin’s gotta be a clear favorite. Yushin’s much better than Anderson. Yushin beat Anderson the last time they fought. It’s real hard to imagine how Anderson would win, but that doesn’t mean he can’t. He’s pulled it off a few times before. I think the hardest part of selling this fight, as they say, is convincing people that Anderson’s actually got a chance.”
On who would win between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre: “I think it would be one-sided, a very easy match for GSP.”
On whether he’d like to be a coach on “The Ultimate Fighter”: “If I had my choice to do it or not, no, I would stay in West Linn, Ore., and stay at home. I hate leaving home. I think it’s like a six-week venture. … But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do it. I do lots of things that I don’t want to do. If they ask me to and Dana says, ‘Listen, this is going to be helpful and we’re focusing on your weight class and I would appreciate it,’ then of course I would do it.”
On Vitor Belfort (in reference to his win over Yoshihiro Akiyama: “Vitor, for me, is the most intimidating guy in the division and one of the scariest guys in the company. He hits the hardest. He’s the most accurate. He’s got the best hands. He’s filled with experience: tournament champion at heavyweight, light heavyweight world champion. Now he’s down all the way at middleweight.”
On Tito Ortiz: “He’s the most decorated light heavyweight of all time. He’s assured to be in the Hall of Fame. When he made his entrance [against Rashad Evans] and that crowd erupted -- I mean, the roof came off the building when Tito walked out. I think that’s about all you need to know. That’s about all that needs to be said for Tito Ortiz. He has a place in this company, in this industry, and it’s tremendous. It would be horrible to even begin the Tito retirement talk. Just an absolute loss to all of us if he was to call it quits.”
Listen to the full interview (beginning at 2:54).
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